_#_Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
_#_Terrain: mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some
hills in southeast
_#_Natural resources: natural gas, crude oil, fertile soil
_#_Land use: arable land 25%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
34%; forest and woodland 9%; other 31%; includes irrigated 15%
_#_Environment: 27% of the land area is below sea level and protected
from the North Sea by dikes
_#_Note: located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine,
Maas or Meuse, Schelde)
_*_People
_#_Population: 15,022,393 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women);
adjective--Dutch
_#_Ethnic divisions: Dutch 96%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 4% (1988)
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 36%, Protestant 27%, other 6%,
unaffiliated 31% (1988)
_#_Language: Dutch
_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can
read and write (1979 est.)
_#_Labor force: 5,300,000; services 50.1%, manufacturing and
construction 28.2%, government 15.9%, agriculture 5.8% (1986)
_#_Organized labor: 29% of labor force
_*_Government
_#_Long-form name: Kingdom of the Netherlands
_#_Type: constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Amsterdam, but government resides at The Hague
_#_Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provincien,
singular--provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland,
Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht,
Zeeland, Zuid-Holland
_#_Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
_#_Independence: 1579 (from Spain)
_#_Constitution: 17 February 1983
_#_Legal system: civil law system incorporating French penal theory;
judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order rather
than Acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations
_#_National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
_#_Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, vice prime minister,
Cabinet, Cabinet of Ministers
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral legislature (Staten Generaal)
consists of an upper chamber or First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) and a lower
chamber or Second Chamber (Tweede Kamer)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April
1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER, Prince of Orange, son of Queen
Beatrix (born 27 April 1967);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Ruud (Rudolph) F. M. LUBBERS
(since 4 November 1982); Vice Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 2 November
1989)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Willem van VELZEN;
Labor (PvdA), Wim KOK;
Liberal (VVD), Joris VOORHOEVE;
Democrats '66 (D'66), Hans van MIERIO;
Communist (CPN), Henk HOEKSTRA;
a host of minor parties
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
First Chamber--last held on 9 June l987 (next to be held 9 June
1991); results--elected by the country's 12 provincial councils;
seats--(75 total) percent of seats by party NA;
Second Chamber--last held on 6 September 1989 (next to be held by
September 1993);
results--CDA 35.3%, PvdA 31.9%, VVD 14.6%, D'66 7.9%, other 10.3%;
seats--(150 total) CDA 54, PvdA 49, VVD 22, D'66 12, other 13
_#_Communists: about 6,000
_#_Other political or pressure groups: large multinational firms;
Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and
Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of
Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; the nondenominational
Federation of Netherlands Enterprises; and IKV--Interchurch Peace Council
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN,
COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMS, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, G-10, GATT,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA,
OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTSO, UPU,
WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Johan Hendrick MEESMAN;
Chancery at 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
244-5300; there are Dutch Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, New York, and San Francisco;
US--Ambassador C. Howard WILKINS, Jr.; Embassy at Lange Voorhout
102, The Hague (mailing address APO New York 09159);
telephone [31] (70) 362-4911; there is a US Consulate General in
Amsterdam
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue;
similar to the flag of Luxembourg which uses a lighter blue and is longer
_*_Economy
_#_Overview: This highly developed and affluent economy is based on
private enterprise. The government makes its presence felt, however,
through many regulations, permit requirements, and welfare programs
affecting most aspects of economic activity. The trade and financial
services sector contributes over 50% of GDP. Industrial activity
provides about 25% of GDP and is led by the food-processing,
oil-refining, and metalworking industries. The highly mechanized
agricultural sector employs only 5% of the labor force, but provides
large surpluses for export and the domestic food-processing industry.
An unemployment rate of 6.8% and a sizable budget deficit are
currently the most serious economic problems.
_#_GDP: $218.0 billion, per capita $14,600; real growth rate 3.1%
(1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 6.8% (1990 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $68 billion; expenditures $76 billion, including
capital expenditures of $7 billion (1990)
_#_Exports: $107.8 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--agricultural products, processed foods and tobacco,
natural gas, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing;
partners--EC 74.9% (FRG 28.3%, Belgium-Luxembourg
14.2%, France 10.7%, UK 10.2%), US 4.7% (1988)
_#_Imports: $104.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--raw materials and semifinished products, consumer
goods, transportation equipment, crude oil, food products;
partners--EC 63.8% (FRG 26.5%, Belgium-Luxembourg 23.1%,
UK 8.1%), US 7.9% (1988)
_#_External debt: none
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 4.8% (1990 est.); accounts
for 25% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 22,216,000 kW capacity; 63,570 million kWh
produced, 4,300 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products,
electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, fishing,
construction, microelectronics
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; animal production
predominates; crops--grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables;
shortages of grain, fats, and oils
_#_Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $19.4
billion
_#_Currency: Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (plural--guilders,
gulden, or florins); 1 Netherlands guilder, gulden, or florin (f.) =
100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: Netherlands guilders, gulden, or florins (f.) per
US$1--1.7018 (January 1991), 1.8209 (1990), 2.1207 (1989), 1.9766 (1988),
2.0257 (1987), 2.4500 (1986), 3.3214 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications
_#_Railroads: 3,037 km track (includes 1,871 km electrified and
1,800 km double track); 2,871 km 1.435-meter standard gauge operated by
Netherlands Railways (NS); 166 km privately owned
_#_Highways: 108,360 km total; 92,525 km paved (including 2,185 km
of limited access, divided highways); 15,835 km gravel, crushed stone
_#_Inland waterways: 6,340 km, of which 35% is usable by craft of
1,000 metric ton capacity or larger
_#_Pipelines: 418 km crude oil; 965 km refined products; 10,230 km
natural gas
_#_Ports: maritime--Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Den Helder, Dordrecht,
Eemshaven, Ijmuiden, Rotterdam, Scheveningen, Terneuzen, Vlissingen;
inland--29 ports
_#_Merchant marine: 344 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,722,838
GRT/3,822,230 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 187 cargo, 32
refrigerated cargo, 23 container, 12 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 livestock
carrier, 12 multifunction large-load carrier, 17 petroleum, oils, and
lubricants (POL) tanker, 29 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 2
specialized tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 9 bulk, 3 combination bulk;
note--many Dutch-owned ships are also registered in the captive
Netherlands Antilles register
_#_Civil air: 98 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 28 total, 28 usable; 18 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: highly developed, well maintained, and
integrated; extensive system of multiconductor cables, supplemented by
radio relay links; 9,418,000 telephones; stations--6 AM, 20 (33
repeaters) FM, 22 (8 repeaters) TV; 5 submarine cables; communication
satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (1 Indian Ocean and
2 Atlantic Ocean) and EUTELSAT systems
_*_Defense Forces
_#_Branches: Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (including
Naval Air Service and Marine Corp), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal
Constabulary
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,141,910; 3,658,056 fit for
military service; 105,829 reach military age (20) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $6.8 billion, 2.7% of GDP (1990)
_%_
_@_Netherlands Antilles
(part of the Dutch realm)
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 960 km2; land area: 960 km2; includes Bonaire,
Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the
island of Saint Martin)
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 5.5 times the size of
Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 364 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;